Solon XC runs on to Regionals
Seniors Johnny Ciccero, Nathan Close and Josh Baker sprint out ahead early at the beginning of the GCC race at Strongsville High School
October 30, 2020
The Solon Comets will be running at Boardman High School Saturday, Oct. 31st at 3 p.m. for a chance to qualify for the State meet for the second time in a row.
Varsity runners Nathan Close, Johnny Ciccero, Josh Baker, Ryan Goldfeder, Adam Yousef, James Howell and Charlie Kasper, all ran at districts placing 4th overall, making them one of the eight teams to qualify for the Regional race.
Due to the worldwide pandemic, the team had some tough obstacles to face this season and over the summer: such as no captains practice (practices led by senior captains), and splitting up the teams into pods to run together twice a week. Throughout the season, the team slowly improved and now shows the potential to qualify for the state meet.
“We started off a little behind where we thought we were gonna be,” varsity runner Ciccero said. “But we definitely got better as a unit throughout the season.”
A younger group this year, including three juniors, two sophomores and two seniors, placed 2nd in the Greater Cleveland Conference (GCC) meet, right behind Mentor. After placing 4th in the district meet and moving on to the regional meet, all they have to do now is place top eight in order to qualify for the state meet. Even though the team placed 2nd in the GCC, they showed improvement and potential for the team to be great, and to go far into the postseason.
“For this year, it was about getting the younger guys experience so they can grow throughout this year and prove that we’re a team that deserves to run at the state meet,” Ciccero said.
Last year, Solon won the GCC meet, placed 2nd in the districts behind Hudson to place 4th in the regional meet. To top it all off, the boys placed an impressive 3rd place in the state meet. Now, with losing Matthew Costanzo, Sam Young and Ben Shafron, it’s up to seniors Close, Ciccero and Baker, along with the rest of the team to qualify for state for the second time in a row when they run at Boardman High School this Saturday. Family members and friends are the only spectators for this meet. As the race is limited to only 600 spectators per race. However, live results can be found here.
